Warhammer 40,000 Fanon Wiki:Canon Policy
This page concerns the Warhammer 40,000 Fanon Wiki's Canon Policy. These guidelines will outline the specific subjects that our wiki community has deemed Non-Canon Friendly (NCF). This policy will cover most common issues or topics encountered when writing about fanon, that users have attempted to pass off as canon friendly. In order to eliminate such issues in the future, this policy will outline the most common mistakes that are forbidden on this wiki. Keep in mind that while breaking one of these rules will cause your article to be deemed NCF, it doesn't necessarily mean you've broken any guidelines on this page, nor does it automatically make your article canon friendly. Space Marines One of the Warhammer 40,000 Fanon wiki's most popular faction to write about, unfortunately, this topic tends to be that one that is abused the most. Listed below are the rules that must be adhered to when writing about a Fanon Space Marine Chapter: Primarchs *No articles about The Lost Primarchs or about the IInd and XIth Legions. *No additional Primarchs. Foundings Space Marine Chapters are created when an event known as a Founding. Certain restrictions in regards to Fanon Chapters have been implemented, which include the following: *No First Founding Chapters/Legions. *No Second Founding Chapters. *No Chapters dating back to the Horus Heresy. *No 5th/6th Founding Chapters of Dark Angels' gene-seed. *There are a total of 26 Foundings, with the latest 26th Founding occurred in 738.M41. *All Fanon Chapters are to be created as part of a Founding. Chapter Size/Organisation The Codex Astartes, the great and sacred tome of military organisation, strategy and tactics of the Adeptus Astartes, dictates that a Chapter shall be comprised of no more than 1,000 battle-brothers. *No Fanon Chapters will be allowed to exceed 1,000 battle-brothers Note: With the exception of the Black Templars who are rumoured to possess upwards to 6,000 battle-brothers (unconfirmed), they are the rare exception to this rule. Fanon Chapters larger than 1,000 must be pleaded to an Administrator, which will then be considered on a case-by-case basis. Space Marine Chapters possess Chapter Serfs who perform a variety of mundane tasks, such as shining power armour, affixing Purity Seals or making food. Chapters do not posses the following: *Personal army of standard-human warriors. *Except in the case where a Chapter's home world had PDF/SDF. Even when these forces doesn't fight for a Chapter, it fights to defend their planet/system. *A permanent detachment of Adepta Sororitas, Grey Knights or Deathwatch forces. *An Adeptus Mechanicus task force permanently attached. *An Inquisition task force or an Inquisitor permanently attached. Other Common Mistakes to Avoid *'Do NOT claim your Chapter was created whole from another Chapter' - This occurred only once in Imperial history, during the Second Founding, when the First Founding Loyalist Legions were sundered into multiple Chapters, with one retaining the original heraldry, livery and honours of the original Legion. It is impossible for a modern era Chapter to build up large enough to split into two separate Chapters, as legion building is explicitly frowned upon by the leadership of the Imperium. *'Do NOT claim your Chapter was created from a lost company' - Though there have been recorded incidents within GW established canon where a lost company has decided not to return to their parent Chapter, and has decided to strike out on their own, this doesn't mean that they have become a different entity. At their heart they are still a part of their parent Chapter. For example, a missing company of Ultramarines would still be Ultramarines, therefore, once they managed to make contact with their Chapter home world of Macragge, they would most likely be reabsorbed back into the Chapter. *'Do NOT claim your Chapter was secretly created by a Primarch' - The Primarchs were the Emperor's genetically modified sons who commanded and led vast Space Marine Legions all across the galaxy. There would be no need for them to create some sort of 'secret' Chapter, as they would instead, add these additional Space Marines to their already existing Legion. As there were 20 existing Space Marine Legions, there would be no need for any such 'secret' Chapter. *'Do NOT have your Chapter fulfill the role of another Imperial organisation' - Space Marines are foremost amongst the defenders of humanity, the greatest of the Emperor of Mankind's warriors. They are barely human at all, but superhuman; having been made superior in all respects to a normal man by a harsh regime of genetic modification, psycho-conditioning and rigorous training. Space Marines are untouched by plague or any natural disease and can suffer wounds that would kill a lesser being several times over, and live to fight again. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death, and they know no fear. They are nigh unstoppable bio-engineered killing machines that specialise in surgical strikes. They are too valuable to perform the jobs that lesser men do. *'Do NOT say that your Chapter was Founded by someone other than the High Lords of Terra' - Only those who rule on behalf of the Emperor, namely the High Lords of Terra, have the ability to commission a new Founding of Adeptus Astartes. Though this was done at least once, when the Adeptus Mechanicus secretly Founded the Steel Confessors Chapter by utilising the gene-seed of the Iron Hands. After their discovery by the Inquisition, the Steel Confessors were forced to become an independent Chapter of the Adeptus Mechanicus, but they still maintain unusually close ties with the Mechanicum of Mars. However, keep in mind that this is also the exception, not the rule! Successor Chapters To be granted a Successor Chapter is one of the highest honours bestowed upon a Chapter by the High Lords of Terra - to propagate the valiant bloodline of a heroic Chapter and their valiant deeds. Therefore, no Fanon Chapter will have: *More than 1 Successor Chapter (Exceptions can be made on case-by-case basis, and only with the explicit permission of an Administrator). *To be granted the esteemed honour of having a Successor Chapter, a Fanon Chapter has to be Codex Astartes-compliant and possess a great reputation. Most Chapters have one of the original First Founding Space Marine Legions as a Progenitor Chapter. The Warhammer 40,000 Fanon wiki community agrees that there shall be none of the following: *No Successor Chapters of the Traitor Legions. *No Successor Chapters of one of the Lost Legions. *No Successor Chapters of the Space Wolves. *No Successor Chapters of the Grey Knights or the Exorcists. Gene-Seed As every Space Marine Chapter shares the genetic flaws or deficiencies of their Progenitor Chapter, making it impossible that a Successor would possess a particular zygote that their forebears do not (For example: Possessing a Betcher's Gland when your a Successor Chapter of the Imperial Fists, when they do not). Those Fanon Chapters... *...Descended from the gene-seed of Sanguinius, suffer from the twin genetic flaws known as the Black Rage and the Red Thirst. Although there have been cases where certain Chapters have a lower incidence of these twin flaws compared to the Blood Angels or their fellow Successor Chapters, the cure for these genetic deficiencies are nigh impossible, and even eluded Sanguinius himself when he was still alive. This curse has thwarted all attempts by the Apothecarion of the Scions of Sanguinius for ten millennia, and most likely will continue to remain elusive. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that your Fanon Chapter has somehow miraculously found the cure. This is both insulting and highly unlikely. Allegiance and Characters The same rules apply to both Space Marine Chapters as well as individual Space Marine characters. The Warhammer 40,000 Fanon wiki community agrees that there shall be no... *Gue'Vesa Space Marines (Those Space Marines who have sworn allegiance to the Tau Empire and follow the path of the Greater Good) *Space Marines that have sworn allegiance to any other xenos race/empire. Pacts of Convenience It should be noted, that on rare occasions there have been those Space Marine Chapters that have made temporary pacts with xenos to fight against a greater threat. No Space Marines will ever make a pact with any other faction, other than the following... *Craftworld Eldar *Tau Empire Furthermore, no permanent alliance with Craftworld Eldar or the Tau Empire will ever be formed by a loyal Space Marine Chapter, nor will there be any long term alliances. The manipulative and scheming Eldar will likely only consent to such an alliance on a very temporary basis, usually a single battle or perhaps a campaign. It doesn't matter how open-minded your Fanon Chapter is, as xenos are considered a dire threat to the realms of the Imperium of Man, and no one is allowed to make such an alliance with those who wish nothing but harm/destruction on all of Mankind. Therefore this is verboten. Loyalist Traitors/Traitor Loyalists There will be no "Loyalist Traitors" (characters that were originally part of a Traitor Legion and stayed loyal to the Emperor) who survived the tumultuous years of the Great Scouring. The majority of these type of turncoats, would have most likely become a Blackshield - an outcast or marauder of the Legiones Astartes of uncertain allegiances or origin. Deliberately obscuring their Legion's heraldry and origins, most of these individuals fought on their own for their own personal agendas/cause, and most likely died during the intense fighting during the Great Scouring. This also goes the other way around - there will be no "Traitor Loyalist" characters (those who were part of the Loyalist Legions but stayed loyal to Warmaster Horus and the Traitor cause) who survived the Great Scouring, as Loyalist forces made no effort to distinguished those who were guilty or innocent, as all those who turned from the Emperor's light, were destroyed, regardless of their cause/agenda. The exception to this would be the Fallen of the Dark Angels Legion, as well as Renegade Chapters of later Foundings. Home World As a Space Marine Chapter home world is governed by a Chapter Master or individual appointed to the duty of Chapter Master. Such a world is tithed Adeptus Nons. No Space Marine Chapter home world will possess a planet that is also... *A Cardinal World *A Forge World **...Or any world governed by the Adeptus Mechanicus. A Space Marine Chapter must remain apart from the Adeptus Mechanicus, as they only answer to the High Lords of Terra and NOT the lords of Mars. *A Daemon World. Chaos This section covers the rules relating to the Forces of Chaos and their associated themes. Redeemed Chaos Followers It is the view of this wiki that once an individual embraces the worship of Chaos and its various Chaos Gods that is is most unlikely that they would be able to turn back to the light. Due to the nature of the Chaos deities power of their followers and their nefarious influence, these Dark Gods possess the power to intervene as it sees fit in regards to their worshippers. As their worshippers fall further into damnation, the Ruinous Powers reward their followers with strange "gifts," extraordinary powers and potentially, immortality as a Daemon Prince. But usually, following such a path leads to mutation, daemonic possession and spiritual damnation. Therefore, it has been deemed highly unlikely that a follower of the Chaos Gods would ever be redeemed. Even if an irredeemably-corrupted follower of Chaos, (such as a Chaos Champion) realised the error of their ways, by this time, they would be too far gone along down the path of ruination, and would be firmly in the control by their respective Chaos deity, to ever be allowed them to turn back. They would remain tools of their dark masters for as long as they still live, whether they want to or not. Not even death will bring redemption for these benighted souls, as they have forfeited even a spiritual release, as their souls would most likely return to the Immaterium and be devoured by its daemonic inhabitants. Eldar This section covers the rules relating to the pernicious xenos known as the Eldar. Sub-Races No new Eldar sub-races will be allowed, as there are only three basic divisions, which include: Craftworld Eldar, Dark Eldar and the Exodites. This is according to the established canon as stated in these sub-races' various official Codexes. Those Eldar that fled the destruction of the Fall of the Eldar and took refuge upon the Maiden Worlds became the Exodites. Those that maintained their hedonistic practices and cruel dispositions, fled to the Webway and founded their own pocked dimension, becoming the Dark Eldar. Those Eldar who wisely foresaw the destruction of their race and fled before the Fall, became the Craftworld Eldar. Those Eldar who left their home worlds for various reasons, have become Outcasts, though this last category doesn't make them their own sub-race. Interstellar Empires This section covers Fanon interstellar empires (both human and xenos) created on this wiki. Size Any interstellar empires created on the Warhammer 40,000 Fanon wiki should no exceed a territorial size of 100 star systems. The mere presence of an interstellar empire that is larger than this would drastically alter the overall setting of the Warhammer 40K universe. In accordance to established canon, the Tau Empire, the chief rival to the Imperium of Man in regards to overall sovereignty of the known galaxy, has established an overall territory comprised of at least 100 worlds under its direct control. This is not to say that a fanon interstellar empire couldn't have had more worlds under its control in the past, but it is up to the individual author to explain how these worlds were lost. Within the grimdark setting of the Warhammer 40K universe, having control of more than one star systems would be considered a respectable in size, due to the vagaries of warp travel and the unreliability of astropathic communication. Technology The following rules have been established in regards to technology: *Any fanon created interstellar empire may not match or exceed that of the bygone technological advancement from the lost era of the Dark Age of Technology, as this would greatly unbalance the established technological capacity of most factions within the Warhammer 40K universe. *It is also highly recommended that any fanon-made human interstellar empires not exceed the technological sophistication of the Great Crusade era, as this was the peak of technological advancement for the Imperium of Man. Exceptions can be made if presented in a historical context. *Any fanon-created xenos interstellar empires will not match or exceed the technological advancement of the Craftworld Eldar. Extra-Galactic Extra-galactic interstellar empires will not allowed on the Warhammer 40,000 Fanon Wiki. No fanon-created empires may claim to have originated, or have any holdings within a galaxy outside the established borders of the known galaxy of the Warhammer 40K universe, besides the Milky Way. Any fan-created extra-galactic empires will be deemed NCF, and after the month long grace period to correct the deficiency, will be promptly removed from the wiki. Xenos This section will cover the guidelines in regards to fanon-created xenos species on the Warhammer 40,000 Fanon wiki. Technology Psychic Appitude Relationship with Chaos The War In Heaven Extrax-Galactic Deities Chaos Gods This section covers the Ruinous Powers, the powerful deities of Chaos. There are four separate deities, each representing a particular aspect of humankind - Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh. There are also an unknown number of minor Chaos deities of Chaos, such as the highly contested entity known as Malal/Malice. When writing about a Chaos God, please ensure to adhere to the following: *The Chaos God must be a minor deity. *It cannot rival any of the four major Chaos Gods. *It cannot have more than one Chaos Space Marine Warband under its influence. *It cannot control an entire Daemon World of their own. If one wishes to create a minor Chaos God that has been destroyed (meaning they lack an power in the material universe, but are semi-conscious within the Immaterium/Warp) please ensure that this deity does not any way rival the four major Chaos Gods. Please note, as each individual Chaos God cannot draw their power from the same emotions no Chaos deity can share their source of power with another Chaos deity. Keep in mind, instead of created an actual Chaos God, an author and instead make a powerful Greater Daemon or Daemon Prince of the established Chaos Gods as an alternative. This way, certain emotions that fall under the existing Chaos deity's domain can be utilised for the creation of a demi-God of that specific aspect. C'tan The C'tan, or 'Star Gods', are said to be the oldest intelligent beings in existence in the Milky Way Galaxy. The C'tan used the hatred of the Necrontyr race towards the ancient species called the Old Ones to help them gather the more appetizing energy of living beings that they came to crave. After the end of the War in Heaven against their ancient foes the Old Ones, the Necrons successfully rebelled against their C'tan Star Gods. Those C'tan who survived the revolt were broken into fragments known as C'tan Shards that were more easily contained and imprisoned within arcane Necron devices known as Tesseract Labyrinths. Therefore, the following should be observed when writing about the C'tan: *It is feasible to write about the C'tan or C'tan shards as long as the power of these formidable beings does not overcome that of the such known C'tan as the Deceiver, the Nightbringer and the Void Dragon, the three most-powerful C'tan entities in existence. God-Like Beings The subject of god-like beings are treated as powerful warp entities within the established lore of the Warhammer 40K universe. This includes the all-powerful figures (such as the Emperor of Mankind), or abstract concepts (such as the Ork gods, Gork and Mork). Therefore the following guidelines have been established: *Warp Entities - These all-powerful beings should be treated as Greater Daemons, but be more independent. However, keep in mind warp entities are NOT Chaos Gods, therefore, they do not have daemonic followers as Chaos-aligned servants, and instead have to draw upon followers from the ranks of other warp entities. *Heroic Figures - Certain cultures will revere a heroic figure as a god, which is permitted by the rules of this wiki. However, these figures should be treated like a demi-god of ancient Greece, or an extremely influential mortal, such as a prophet or messianic figure from real world history. When writing about a heroic figure, an author can grant these powerful entities with significant power over a certain race or group of people. But keep in mind, a heroic figure should not be on par, in any shape or form, of a genetically superior Primarch. Nor should these heroic figures be all-powerful/all-knowing entities. *Mythological/Abstract Beings of Worship - Should you write about a culture or group that worships a mythological/abstract being, you should ensure that even though faith displayed by those who worship such a being is real, such a being is most likely only a myth. An author should treat this faith like a real life religion as well as the pantheon of gods worshipped by such people. You can intimate that such 'gods' are in reality an entity of the warp or even an alien. An author should ensure that they are vague in regards to the details of such a being's origins. This will ensure that the actual existence of such a mythological being is heavily doubted. Perpetuals, Sensei & Starchild References As the Horus Heresy series of novels are still ongoing, it has yet to be fully revealed whether or not Perpetuals, are a retcon of the previously established Sensei, as mention in the 2nd Edition, "Realm of Darkness - Slaves to Darkness", as well as the previously established lore on the so-called 'Starchild', as mention in the 2nd Edition of "Realm of Darkness - The Lost & The Damned". Therefore, it has been deemed appropriate that all articles will be labled NCF if they are about... *Perpetual(s) *Sensei(s) *Starchild Category:Policy